NATIONAL

“Does Barack Obama like America? The people around him certainly seem to have their reservations. Michelle Obama said — twice, at separate campaign events — that her husband’s ascending to the presidency meant that ‘for the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country.’ She was in her mid 40s at the time, her ‘adult lifetime’ having spanned decades during which she could not be ‘really proud’ of her country. Barack Obama spent years in the Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s church as the churchman fulminated: ‘God Damn America!’ The Reverend Wright’s infamous ‘God Damn America!’ sermon charges the country with a litany of abuses: slavery, mistreatment of the Indians, ‘treating citizens as less than human,’ etc. A less raving version of the same indictment can be found in the president’s own speeches and books. His social circle includes such figures as Bill Ayers and Bernadette Dohrn, who expressed their love of country by participating in a murderous terrorist campaign against it.” – Kevin Williamson/National Review

“Hundreds of daily record lows and at least three all-time record lows have been set as a frigid air mass with a connection to Siberia grips the central and eastern United States with dangerously cold conditions. Friday morning has brought the most widespread and intense cold of the winter to many areas, sending temperatures into the 30s below zero as far south as Kentucky.” – Weather.com

“Is this business as usual, or is it … one toke over the line? Marc Caputo drags e-mails from DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz out into the light, in which the Congresswoman tries to get a critic to change his position by offering to change hers — on medical marijuana. Wasserman Schultz, reportedly aiming for a shot at Marco Rubio’s Senate seat, had drawn harsh criticism for her opposition to an initiative that would have legalized medicinal pot in Florida, and advocacy groups had pledged to fight her Senate bid as a result. Wasserman Schultz got so rattled by this opposition that she personally e-mailed at least one public critic with an offer to flip-flop on medicinal pot if he mellowed his groove against her:” – Hot Air

“Iran’s foreign minister and lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the United States has been ordered by the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader to stop shouting and yelling at Secretary of State John Kerry during negotiating sessions. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told his country’s state controlled media in a recent interview that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed him to stop yelling at Kerry and other top U.S. officials during the talks.” – Washington Free Beacon

“Last week social media jumped on the story of a woman who supposedly decided to have a late-term abortion specifically because she found out she was having a boy. Based on a near-anonymous comment posted on an Internet forum, the story is highly questionable at best. Nevertheless, both pro- and anti-abortion advocates pounced on the missive.” – PJ Media

“The pending Virginia Roberts case has Hillary’s team in a near panic though. Not so much for what Roberts might say, but rather out of fear of other women coming forward to implicate Bill Clinton as a regular participant in Epstein’s underage sex exploits. Clinton operatives have been scouring all court documents and related witness lists trying to determine if such a risk exists. Some are suggesting the reaction has gone well beyond the review phase and that “significant” monies have already been spent to keep certain individuals quiet and the scandal contained.” – Ulsterman

“The White House has some bad news for those ObamaCare-insured taxpayers who prepared for early tax filing — or actually had already filed. That form that they sent out about premiums and subsidies? More than ten percent of them turned out to be wrong [see update], so … you’ll have to either wait to calculate your taxes, or have a do-over:” – Hot Air

“Hillary Clinton’s nascent campaign doesn’t have a headquarters, but it does have an epicenter. It’s called ‘Whitehaven,’ and it’s a 5,500-square-foot brick colonial in the posh Observatory Circle neighborhood of Northwest Washington.” – The Hill

“People who are just now figuring out that Obamacare has an individual mandate will get a second opportunity to buy coverage, the Health and Human Services Department said Friday.” – National Journal

“A former Falls Church Democratic Party chairman, charged with molesting two young girls, talked about hiring a hit man to kill them before they could be witnesses at his March 4 trial, according to court documents.” – Washington Post

LOUISIANA

“U. S. Sen. David Vitter, a contender for governor and an opponent of Common Core, said Friday the state should form a panel of teachers, parents and others to draft new classroom standards. ‘The idea that you can only have strong, challenging standards if you surrender control to national elites is just crazy,’ Vitter said in a prepared statement.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“The Gulf of Mexico provides a lot for us, from seafood to natural resources to beauty and a way of life. Now it looks like the Gulf of Mexico may also cleanse the air we breathe by quietly absorbing pollutants each night.” – WWL-TV

“The Southern University System has voted overwhelmingly in favor of merging its president and Baton Rouge campus chancellor roles. The board on Friday also launched a search committee to identify a candidate for the position, but opted not to hire a national search firm to conduct the search.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“Baton Rouge-area hospitals and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals released details Friday of their plan to boost emergency room and urgent care options, in light of the imminent closure of Baton Rouge General Mid City’s emergency room.” – NOLA.com

“In the developing race for governor, Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle has officially become the first candidate to go up on television this year. Three spots began airing Friday morning in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Morgan City and Thibodaux. Sources tell LaPolitics that the $200,000 buy was largely made while the rest of the Bayou Region and Acadiana were celebrating Mardi Gras.” – LAPolitics.com

“Forty-six percent of Louisiana residents say they attend religious services every week, the fourth-highest attendance rate in the nation, according to Gallup poll released this week. Utah tops the list with slightly more than half of residents attending services weekly.” – Baton Rouge Advocate

“The oyster industry is still recovering from the BP oil spill. The men and women who work the coast are pushing hard to keep the jewel of Louisiana seafood viable.” – WBRZ

“Former Gov. Edwin Edwards got a nod from the Louisiana Real Estate Commission Thursday, allowing him to move forward in his pursuit of a real estate license, according to WBRZ.” – NOLA.com

“Voters will choose from among three Alexandria Democrats on Saturday in a special election to fill the vacant House District 26 seat.” – Alexandria Town Talk

“New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis doesn’t attribute the team’s shakeup of the coaching staff to any sort of stale or stagnant atmosphere.” – NOLA.com